


Finally Home

by icarusmoon



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Sick Character, Sickfic, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:28:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27594125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icarusmoon/pseuds/icarusmoon
Summary: Every word takes an enormous amount of effort. He hopes she doesn’t notice.“Eugene? Are you feeling okay?”Damn.“‘Course I am,” he murmurs. He closes his eyes and sniffs. “Why wouldn’t I be?”(Or: Rapunzel convinces Eugene to take a sick day.)
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45





	Finally Home

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic based on a prompt that @SecondhandLovers sent me on Tumblr. It's been living on my Tumblr for a while, but I thought I'd finally post it here! Thanks @PurpleReine for the title! ❤️

Eugene has never dreaded the sound of Rapunzel’s voice. 

It’s an odd feeling. Eugene isn’t exactly a morning person, and he’d much rather be woken up by Rapunzel’s gentle prodding and soft, lazy kisses than an alarm clock or a stuffy servant. It’s just that it’s too early, and his head is pounding, and he’s pretty sure he’s about to cough up a lung. He doesn’t really want to be seen like this. He doesn’t want to admit he’s sick, because he can’t get sick. He has things to do and promises to keep. 

Plus, it’s embarrassing. Sleepy and snot-ridden isn’t the most attractive look. 

Besides, he doesn’t want Rapunzel to worry. Being sick isn’t a big deal. 

If he’s even sick. 

Which he isn’t. 

Despite his desperate wishing, he hears a knock and a soft click as Rapunzel unlocks his door. “Good morning, Eugene!”

Eugene groans in response. He turns his head and cracks one eye open, only to find Rapunzel sitting at the edge of his bed. “Hi, Sunshine.” 

Every word takes an enormous amount of effort. He hopes she doesn’t notice. 

“Eugene? Are you feeling okay?” 

Damn. 

“‘Course I am,” he murmurs. He closes his eyes and sniffs. “Why wouldn’t I be?” 

“You sound all…stuffed up. And you’re kind of pale.” Rapunzel presses the back of her hand to his forehead and frowns. “Eugene, you’re burning up.” 

“It’s just hot in here.”

“I think you’re sick.” 

“Ha. Good one, Blondie. I don’t get sick.” 

To prove his point, Eugene sits up next to her. He crosses his arms and grins triumphantly before he starts coughing violently. Rapunzel raises her eyebrows, as if to say, “I thought so.” 

_“Fine,”_ he admits, falling back into the pillows. “I feel awful.” 

Rapunzel frowns. “Do you want me to call the doctor?”

_Doctor?_ Eugene scoffs and shakes his head. He had never been to the doctor. He sure as hell isn’t going to start now.

“Well, I don’t have much scheduled for today,” Rapunzel says, feeling his forehead again. He hums, glad to feel her skin on his, to feel something real and solid through the haze of fever and exhaustion. 

“If you want, I can cancel my lessons and stay here.” 

Eugene feels a pang of guilt, because this is exactly what he was trying to avoid. Rapunzel has more responsibilities than he can imagine; one day, she’ll have an entire kingdom to take care of. He just isn’t worth this kind of trouble. 

“Oh, no—it’s okay, Sunshine. Don’t play hooky on my account. I think I can power through the day, anyway.” 

Rapunzel smiles sympathetically and leans forward to give him a quick kiss. Eugene wonders vaguely if he’s contagious, and the guilt grows stronger. “You need to rest,” she says. “And I wouldn’t be playing hooky. Just making sure the man I love is okay.” 

“I’ll be okay, Sunshine.”

Rapunzel bites her lip, and Eugene hates that he’s doing this to her. He should have kept his mouth shut. 

“Are you sure?” Rapunzel asks. 

“I’m sure. I’m fine. Really.” 

Eugene feels far from fine. He hasn’t felt this sick since his days at the orphanage.

But no one had taken care of him then, either. 

“Well…if you’re sure…”

“I’m sure.” He gives her what he hopes is a confident smile. “I’ll just sleep it off. You said I needed rest, right?”

“Lots of it,” Rapunzel says firmly. “And drink plenty of fluids.”

“Got it, Doc.” 

Rapunzel kisses him on the cheek. “I’ll check on you later though, okay? I can bring you some tea. And some soup, if you are feeling up to eating.” 

Is that what you were supposed to do when you were sick? Drink tea and eat soup?

“Thanks, Blondie.” 

“Of course, Eugene. I love you.” 

“I love you, too.” 

Rapunzel gives him one last kiss before heading towards the door, and suddenly, Eugene has a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. Watching her leave makes him feel even worse: lonely and aching and miserable. He swallows and imagines what it would be like to let her bring him a cup of tea.

It sounds kind of nice, actually. 

“Rapunzel?”

She turns, her eyebrows knit together in concern. 

“I, um…”

It shouldn’t be hard to ask. She offered to cancel everything, after all. He knows she’ll say yes. 

But his tongue twists in knots and the words won’t come out right and his headache makes everything a blur. He realizes he never wanted her to leave—it’s the last thing he wanted—but he has spent so long taking care of himself that never actually learned how to ask for help. He has never learned how to _need_ someone. 

Maybe Rapunzel can change all that. Maybe she already has. 

“Please stay?” 

Rapunzel gives him another smile and lets out a deep breath. Eugene recognizes that smile. The kind that says she had been worried, and now she can finally relax. 

He has a feeling he makes her use that smile too often. For a moment he’s afraid she’s going to change her mind. He’s afraid he has to endure it alone, because orphans and thieves don’t get to take sick days. 

But Rapunzel returns to sit next to him, and he’s no longer an orphan or a thief.

He’s safe, and he’s home, and he can finally rest.


End file.
